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One last Christmas in Christ Chapel performance..

Well it’s that time of year: Christmas in Christ Chapel has ended and now I have all this free time on my hands and have NO clue what to do with it. Just kidding!! I have a big stack of books and notes on my desk that are calling (more like screaming) my name. This year’s CinCC has been especially important to me not only because it’s my last (sob) CinCC but because a lot of new and exciting changes have been made to the program since last year. Of course we still do the big grande finale where everyone sings “O Come All Ye Faithful” and some of the audience members and musicians start to weep by the final verse, and there’s still five (yes FIVE) performances in three days. This year we had the opportunity to work with a professional lighting crew which made the chapel look even more spectacular than it usually does this time of year, we were filmed by a professional camera crew during dress rehearsal (not somebody’s grandpa standing in the back row holding a camcorder but a legit production company!) and the Lucia Singers and Choir of Christ Chapel were under new direction this year. I will admit, at first when I heard about all these changes that were about to take place I was a little skeptical… being of good ol’ stubborn German-Swedish stock of course I’m going to be a little resistant if changes are made to something I’ve become familiar with. The extra-long, five hour tech rehearsal definitely didn’t help my hesitations either about the fancy schmancy lighting this year, but in the end it all fell in to place. Thank goodness too because I don’t think the audience would have been as patient as we all were sitting around for five hours!!

I’ve learned through this year’s experience that changes can definitely be a good thing! Our new choir director, Dr. Brandon Dean, has done OUTSTANDING work with both ensembles so far this year, which is fantastic for us and the music department at Gustavus. It was a little scary going into my senior year at Gustavus having to re-audition in front of a completely new director after singing with the same director for the last two years, but those fears and hesitations I had faded very quickly! I should have known that the music faculty here at Gustavus would have only left our two ensembles in more than capable hands, but I’m only 21 years old, what the heck do I know?? Besides to drink gallons and gallons of tea during the week of CinCC ;). Dr. Dean definitely had a hand (haha director joke pun?) in making this an exceptionally wonderful Christmas in Christ Chapel experience, everyone sounded outstanding and I know we couldn’t have gotten to that place in our singing without his help and direction. Thank you Dr. Dean for everything, and like I said tonight during the very emotional senior speech time, you will always and forever be a Lucia Singer and a Choir of Christ Chapel member! It’s going to be a completely different experience for me next December when I come back to CinCC as a member of the audience rather than a member of the choir; it makes me sad and excited at the same time because I’ll never get to make those memories again like I have with the Lucia Singers and the Choir of Christ Chapel these last four years, but I also can’t wait to sit in the pews and hear how amazing each ensemble sounds and give out lots of hugs and compliments to friends who are still lucky enough to enjoy this experience for at least one more year.